


This is Bangtan Boys

by Tenguuu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: ARMY has Silent Protagonist Syndrome lol, Alternate Universe, BTS as Gym Leaders, BTS x Pokémon, Character Study, Crossover, Gen, No Romance, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25486930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenguuu/pseuds/Tenguuu
Summary: BTS may be a world famous idol group but they were determined to show that they can be just as competent as Pokémon Trainers. It took them years and years of preparation but they finally created a Pokémon League in the Acelor region! But representing an entire region is lot more hard work than they were expecting... Not only that, but they have a new challenger to contend with and she's more than ready to take on their League!
Relationships: Bangtan Boys Ensemble & BTS ARMY(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been crazy about BTS for a while and then got back into Pokémon, as one does. I dunno how it happened but both obsessions fused together to make this story. Now, this will involve Pokémon and moves from Gen 1 to 8 so if you dropped Pokémon somewhere in between then you may have to do a bit of research I'm afraid. Bear with it because there is no way I am NOT going to give Jimin a Yamper! Look at the little puppy Pokémon and tell me it doesn't look like Chimmy!
> 
> Regardless, I hope you'll have just as much fun reading it as I did writing it ^^

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BTS are not just idols. They want to leave their audience with their jaws on the floor!

_“Kim Namjoon!”_

The boys waited with bated breath beneath the stage as the floor rumbled to the music along with their thumping hearts.

_“Kim Seokjin!”_

Jungkook felt a gentle pat on his shoulder. “You okay, Jungkook?” asked Jimin. The youngest member looked to his hyung, whose brows furrowed with concern. “You’ve been awfully twitchy.”

_“Min Yoongi!”_

“Yeah, hyung.” Jungkook gave him a shining grin. “I honestly can’t wait to perform for our fans after so long. You know how it is. Can’t stay still.” He stood, listening to the chanting in the arena. “We’re going to blow them away again this time, right?”

_“Jung Hoseok!”_

Here, he was given a playful shove. “Of course we are! They’re never going to know what hit them!” Jimin looked towards V, who heard the exchange and winked at them.

_“Park Jimin!”_

Jungkook nodded and when the satisfied Jimin left him to his devices, he reached for his belt and rubbed Cinderace’s pokéball. His partner, sensing his trainer’s nervous state, tapped back at his touch. The boy felt the weight in his chest lessen significantly from his pokémon’s reassurance.

_“Kim Taehyung!”_

“Everyone! Take your positions!” Their leader, RM, bellowed over the music to be heard. “We’re starting!”

_“Jeon Jungkook!”_

As the members took up their poses as practiced several times during rehearsal, they spared each other one last glance. J-Hope broke out in a sunny smile. “LET’S DO THIS!”

The platform rose. Sparks flew. And the stadium shook with the crowd’s cheering as the song started.

_“BTS!”_

In perfect sync, they began to dance with Jungkook at centre, who seemed to have forgotten that nerves existed as he immersed himself in the music. The strobe lights above them lit them up in all colours of the rainbow as they moved as one, fluid as a well oiled-machine. Soon, RM hyped up the crowd in the way he knew best and was shortly joined by the other rappers, J-Hope and Suga.

Their fans knew the song off by heart and loyally echoed the words to the song as they performed.

It was V’s turn to sing and he handled it with a smile as bright as a schoolboy. RM made an excellent follow up, seducing the crowd with a wink and then V and Jimin sang together.

The chorus was coming up. All the members reached for their belts.

 _“You can’t stop me loving myself_ _𝅘𝅥𝅮 ~”_

In a burst of sparkles and confetti, their pokémon erupted out of their pokéballs and got to work at once. Yellow and blue lightning zigzagged through the air, thanks to Jin’s Emolga and Suga’s Toxtricity, the sparks seemingly dancing with each other until they met high above the stage with a bang.

RM’s Alolan Exeggutor immediately bent down to allow J-Hope’s Spinda to hop onto its neck and it was shortly joined by Jimin’s Pom-Pom Style Oricorio as the adorable duo began their captivating dance.

V’s Rotom, having possessed an electric fan long before the performance, flew around the arena after it set up an Electric Terrain, chortling as it blew playful breezes at the mezmerised fans’ faces. Emolga followed its example shortly after and blew kisses at the crowd to steal the hearts of many.

Cinderace danced beside Jungkook in the centre, easily keeping up with the boys as if it were a secret eighth member of the group. As the dance progressed, the fire rabbit shot a Pyro Ball up in the air then Jungkook helped to throw his partner up for an impressive high Double Kick. It kicked the fire ball towards the floor which Toxtricity met with a Thunder Punch, making an explosion of red fire and blue electricity.

When Jin sang his part, his Emolga circled above him with joy and they gave each other a wink when their eyes met. As it flew around, it shot big hearts in the air with Charm, giggling as it periodically made them burst into tinier hearts with Air Slash.

Spinda jumped down from Exeggutor and pranced over to J-Hope dance by his side. Oricorio flew up from its perch to join Emolga in circling above the members. As soon as it did, Cinderace pretended to kick at Exeggutor who sprang back up to sway from side to side to the music with a friendly smile, completely unharmed.

As the chorus was starting up again, Oricorio conjured up a Hurricane behind the boys which blew up the confetti from their pokéball capsules when they were released. Cinderace kicked Pyro Ball after Pyro Ball at the mini tornado and Rotom did likewise with Shadow Ball. All the while, Spinda and Emolga cheered them on by clapping cutely with Encore.

This had resulted in a giant twister of confetti and coloured balls in the middle of the stage while boys and pokémon continued to dance and sing unperturbed. As the song came to an end, Emolga shot a barrage of stars at the Hurricane with Swift and Spinda assisted with Copycat. The energy balls inside exploded and the hurricane dissipated with a shower of red and purple sparkles and ripped confetti above their heads.

While this was going on, Suga quickly released his Krookidile and J-Hope his Mudsdale then all boys and pokémon moved towards the centre to pose with them as they ended the song. They discreetly held onto a part of the Ground-type pokémon as the electric pokémon on the stage released a giant stage-wide Discharge.

There was a moment when the audience held their breath as the electricity raced towards them but the energy bounced off the edges of the stage harmlessly as Rotom and Emolga had been subtly setting up Light Screens while they were playing with the fans.

The sole pokémon unprotected by Ground-type pokémon or Light Screens was the ever smiling Exeggutor, who merely took the electric blast with barely a flinch thanks to its convenient typing as a Grass/Dragon pokémon.

As the members panted with exertion from expending all their energy, they gazed at the silent crowd with apprehension. Did they like their performance? Were the hours and hours of practice with numerous scrapes and accidental electrocutions worth it all in the end?

A moment later, as if awoken from a trance, the fans erupted in loud cheers and screaming. There were even some tears shed among them as they had felt blessed to be able to witness the show.

The boys felt themselves breaking out into a grin at the sight. Their pokémon expressed their happiness either by dancing or flying in the air, doing whatever suited them.

Yes. This was BTS. The biggest idol group in the world and the pride and joy of the Acelor region.

* * *

The first solo performance was J-Hope’s Trivia: Just Dance. For this performance, he sent his Flygon out, who shot around the stage firing Signal Beams at the sky while its trainer sang and danced like he was born for it. At certain points of the performance, Flygon flew back to its trainer to act as his dance partner, holding onto his hands and dancing in joyful circles. Towards the end of the performance, Flygon shot an extended Dragon Breath upwards from behind J-Hope in tandem with the shower effects from the stage, highlighting the expert dancer in an ethereal light. The two of them together simply looked like they were having the time of their life.

The next to perform was Jungkook with his Gallade who wore a matching outfit. They looked like two gallant princes in white as they danced together to Jungkook’s solo song, Euphoria. Gallade matched Jungkook's fancy footwork effortlessly and the two of them looked like they came straight from a dream. Midway through the song, a hook approached the two of them and before it even reached the floor, Gallade picked Jungkook up and leapt for the hook. The audience gasped and then applauded when Gallade made the jump and the two of them flew around the stadium with the blade pokémon holding onto its trainer by the waist. It truly spoke for the bond between trainer and pokémon.

Jimin’s performance began with his Swanna perched elegantly on a flowery raised platform. However, Jimin himself was nowhere in sight even when his voice could be heard singing from his mic. He could finally be seen when Swanna spread its great wings, where he had been sitting calmly, safe under the soft feathers. While Swanna played a background role in this performance, as Jimin’s seductive dance was the main focus here, its majestic presence wasn’t to be ignored as it would flap its white wings and send feathers flying with Feather Dance. To finish, Jimin strode towards his Swanna and gave it a gentle kiss on the head, making the fans scream in excitement.

RM appeared on stage leaning on his Kingler, slowly reaching out to make a heart with its pincer. As he began to rap Trivia: Love, RM stepped away from his pokémon and it was left on its own to freely scuttle from left to right, blowing bubbles all over the stadium with Bubblebeam. Eventually, it stood still to wave its pincers around to the beat while listening to his trainer’s performance with adoring eyes. As the song ended, Kingler shot out an Icy Wind to freeze the remaining bubbles in the air and when they all fell from their own weight, they broke into pretty crystal shards which melted away in no time at all.

When it was V’s turn to perform, he appeared on a bed alone, singing the beginning of Singularity in a soft voice. Eventually, his Gothitelle glided into the scene to ‘wake’ him up, however he grabbed its hand before it reached him and got up by himself. Together, they were truly iconic, with V’s bewitching voice and Gothitelle’s impressive tricks involving theatre masks and puppets acting as back-up dancers, cleverly manipulated with Telekinesis. After V tossed the last mask to the ground, he disappeared under the cloak of darkness where Gothitelle was waiting for him.

It was a pleasant surprise for the audience when Suga drifted down onto the stage on his Honchkrow wearing a matching fedora hat for his performance of Trivia: Seesaw. As Suga was joined by the back up dancers, Honchkrow remained grounded behind them, matching its movements with dancers and making seesaw movements with its large wings in sync with the dancers. As the song came to an end, Honchkrow spat out a black Haze to cover the stage and when the Haze cleared up, Suga and his Honchkrow were already gone.

Finally, the last to perform solo was Jin, who opened the act by enchanting the audience with his piano playing and soulful singing. Soon after, his Altaria appeared, slowly being raised by a stage platform, and the fans were shocked when it opened its beak to harmonise with Jin, hitting the high notes flawlessly. When Jin left the piano to walk across the stage, Altaria flew up and circled around the stage until it stopped in front of its trainer who got onto its fluffy back. Then they took off, flying low and slowly around the stage. With Jin’s angelic singing and Altaria’s back up vocals, they made an impactful end to their performance.

* * *

All the scheduled songs were over, however, there was still a special event to look forward to. After all the members thanked their fans for coming to their concert, RM still had one last thing to announce.

“Today is a very special day for all of us. We’ve been idols for a long seven years now and it has been a tough and unforgettable journey for all of us to get here. We may be idols, however...”

Here RM, patted the pokéballs on his belt with an ambiguous smile. “We’d like to remind the world that we are trainers too. Please welcome our special guests!”

Smoke billowed out from the stage as the back doors opened to reveal seven figures obscured by the bright lighting. The audience took a moment to ponder their identities. Were they another idol group collaborating with BTS? Or perhaps foreign musicians?

As the smoke cleared and the lighting dimmed, the crowd burst into loud and surprised cheering as they recognised the concert’s special guests. They walked towards the front of the stage to meet the members of BTS.

Sidney sauntered with casual slouch but waved at the audience with a good-natured smile.

Phoebe skipped and danced on her way to the front, winking and blowing kisses with a giggle.

Glacia glided along and waved at the onlookers in a queenly manner, as befitting her icy demeanour.

Drake strode forward with a frown adorning his face, looking like he had better things to do.

In contrast, Wallace, the most accustomed to the attention given his experience with contests, looked right at home, sashaying his way through the stage and capturing all eyes that lay on him.

The shortest among them, May, nearly tripped midway through only to be caught by Phoebe next to her, who she thanked with an awkward smile.

But the one who was easily the most charismatic among them was Steven Stone, who marched forward calmly and confidently. As the group made it to the front of the stage, he greeted the boys with an elegant bow. “We, the representatives of the Hoenn League, thank you for granting us the honour of becoming guests of your concert.”

No one would have expected the Hoenn Elite Four and Champions to be in a BTS concert! While this unexpected development definitely excited the crowd, it baffled them just as much.

RM and the other members of BTS were clearly prepared for this, as they gave their guests their most charming smiles. “No, _thank you_ , for taking the time out of your busy schedules for our event.” RM extended a hand out to Steven who took it with a firm shake. “But since we’ve got no time to waste, shall we get right down to business?”

Here, Steven grinned, displaying his inner playful personality. “Of course.”

RM then turned to address the entire stadium. “We, the members of Bangtan Boys, officially challenge the Hoenn Elite Four and Champions to a Pokémon battle!”

Shouts of surprise echoed throughout the arena. A Pokémon battle? Up until this point, the members of BTS had never publicly battled before, so the astonishment was understandable. But to challenge the Hoenn League of all things?

Both groups moved to opposite ends of the stage and an official judge appeared on a raised platform. It would seem that they were serious about battling.

They spent time sizing each other up until the audience felt like they would burst from the anticipation. The judge glanced at both parties.

“This will be a 7v7 Pokémon battle between BTS and the representatives of the Hoenn League, one pokémon each trainer. Both parties will battle until one side no longer has able pokémon remaining.” he announced. “Let the battle begin!”

As soon as he raised the flag, everyone tossed a pokéball up to release their chosen pokémon. All Elite Four members and Champions released their signature pokémon: Sidney, his Absol; Phoebe, her Sableye; Glacia, her Glalie; Drake; his Salamence; Wallace, his Milotic; May, her Blaziken; and Steven, his Metagross.

The members of BTS released theirs: Jin, his Ampharos; Suga, his Houndoom; J-Hope, his Gengar; Jimin, his Medicham; V his Gardevoir; Jungkook, his Scizor; and finally RM, his Dragonite. Some of their choices were expected and others seemed to be new additions to their team, or at least from their fans’ view.

“Are you ready guys?” RM glanced towards his members who either nodded back or responded vocally with an eager affirmation. “We’ve got a surprise for you all today.” he announced, his voice echoing the stadium from the mic.

The boys raised their left hands simultaneously to pull their sleeves back, revealing thick black bracelets on each of their wrists. However, the large iridescent stones embedded on the bracelets were recognised by the majority of the people present. Key Stones! 

Before the audience even had time to draw breath for a gasp, they activated the bracelets and the stadium instantly shone with a bright light. The light of Mega Evolution.

Ampharos grew a fluffy mane and tail and shining orbs filled with draconic energy adorned its neck and tail. The bones on Houndoom’s body changed their shape to make the presence of the Dark-type pokémon more intimidating. Gengar cackled mischievously as it grew a golden third eye and seemed to fuse itself to the floor with a red miasma. Medicham’s eyes became mysterious blue and four extra ghostly appendages curled around it as it danced on stage to show off its new form. Gardevoir made a little pirouette in its longer ‘gown’ then delicately raised an arm to rest over the newly grown spike on its chest. Scizor seemed to have grown more protective armour over itself and gave its transformed pincers a few test swipes in the air.

But what was likely the most surprising to everyone there was that RM’s Dragonite had Mega Evolved as well, which had been unheard of! It seemed to have revisited its roots as a Dragonair as its body had elongated and small white wings had regrown on its head. Green dragonic orbs had appeared under its chin and tail and its wings became much bigger, nearly sending a whirlwind to the other team as it flapped its wings and roared ferociously on stage.

The crowd went absolutely ballistic over the Mega Evolved pokémon and boys grinned and smirked at the reactions, looking proud of themselves. Even the stern-faced Drake seemed a little impressed at the display.

Steven allowed himself to be surprised for a moment. He had gifted the group the Mega Bracelets a while ago when they visited the Hoenn region on their world tour but he hadn’t expected them to find their own Mega Stones and master Mega Evolution in such a short time.

As both pokémon and trainers glared at each other from across the field, Steven fingered his own Mega Pin on his collar.

This was going to be an exciting battle indeed.

In a flash, the Hoenn League representatives had Mega Evolved their pokémon too and then the battle truly began.

For both the audience and the members of BTS, this was a momentous occasion. And this was how they began a new direction in their career.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The concert was loosely based on the one concert I managed to attend last year and obviously they performed a lot more than this. But I had to cut it down because describing their act with just one song was frustrating enough. I had to study their live performances closely to figure out how to incorporate pokémon in them and wow, I have a newfound appreciation for the boys' ability to dance and sing at the same time. That isn't easy at all! And imagine adding pokémon into the mix... As you may have guessed, it adds a new level of difficulty to their concerts...  
> So anyway, who do think won the battle in the end? :D


	2. Burden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jin faces the pressure of being the first gym leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get to show a little more of their personalities in this chapter, hooray!

As soon as he entered his room, Seokjin threw himself onto the bed and buried himself in the pillows. Emolga, who had been playing with its dolls in a corner, flew over to its trainer, squeaking in concern.

“Hi, Emolga…” He lifted himself from the pillows for a moment to pet his pokémon. “Sorry, it’s been a long day...”

He continued to stroke Emolga’s head who leaned against his touch and held onto his hand with its tiny paws. Seeing his affectionate friend care for him already made his day ever so slightly better.

Earlier that day, he had overseen the latter half of his gym challenge and it had taken a lot more out of him than he expected, with the sheer number of entries he had received. Thank goodness he didn’t have to do it alone, else he might have needed an extra week to get through all them all. He had thanked them earlier but he really had to do a favour for Mr Contesta and Mr. Sukizo who came all the way from Hoenn to help him with the challenge.

He would think about it later though. He was much too exhausted at the moment to think and all he wanted to do was melt away into his bed.

A moment later, he saw Emolga’s ears perk up shortly before he heard a knock on the door. “Delivery!” A voice called out.

Seokjin groaned and considered just ignoring it. Until he remembered that he did not order any delivery. And that he was in the bedroom of his own private apartment and there should not be anyone at the door.

"It's your hope!"

Ah, that would explain 'who'.

Begrudgingly, he trudged towards the door and opened it. There, he was greeted by Hoseok’s sunny smile. “Have you eaten yet? We brought food!” He raised the plastic bags in his hand for emphasis.

The eldest of BTS blinked at his friend blearily. “How did you get in? Pretty sure I locked the front door.”

“I got Taehyung to help me!” He dragged the boy out from behind him. Taehyung waved at Seokjin with a sheepish smile, Gothitelle’s pokéball in hand.

“Hello, hyung.”

Seokjin made an exaggerated sigh. “They should make Teleport illegal for goodness sake.” he complained. Regardless, he stepped out into the hall to lead them to the living room. Emolga glided over to rest on his head and gave the two unexpected guests some welcoming squeaks.

Taehyung reached up to give Emolga a few rubs under the chin. “Not that it would stop us.” he remarked, grinning.

Hoseok laughed merrily and clapped Taehyung on the back who winced a little from his strength. “He’s right!”

They began to set the table as Hoseok and Taehyung took the food out. It smelled great and Seokjin realised how hungry he actually was now that he was reminded of it. He barely had time to eat a snack in the afternoon rather than a full proper lunch and found himself looking forward to dinner.

Despite that, the containers and tubs of food they were taking out seemed never ending. “Hey, why’d you bring so much?”

“Uh…” Hoseok seemed confused. “The others are flying over. Though Namjoon’s picking up Jungkook so he’s gonna be a bit late. Didn’t they tell you?”

“Ugh, no one told me anything!” He made to run his hand over his hair but remembered that Emolga was sitting on top of his head so he put his hand down.

“Hey, a little surprise dinner party never hurts anyone, hyung!” Hoseok whistled noisily as he handed the disposable chopsticks for Taehyung to distribute. “Look, we got your favourite seafood noodles!” he said, shoving in a clear-lidded container in Seokjin’s face for him to see the food.

“Your hyung’s place is not somewhere you can come and go to as you please!” His two younger band members paused to look at him as if he were speaking another language. “Gah, fine. I’ll let it pass because you brought noodles. I was getting hungry anyways.”

The two of them cheered and continued to set the table. Soon enough, there was enough food for seven grown men and then some set up on Seokjin’s dining table and all three boys couldn’t wait to dig in.

“Can’t we just eat first?” Taehyung asked just as the doorbell rang throughout the apartment.

Hoseok jumped up. “I’ll get it!” he yelled, as he sprinted for the intercom.

Seokjin had felt the hard stare from Emolga for a while, even from the top of his head. “I’ll get the pokémon food. And Taehyung, don’t you dare start without me.” As he made his way to the kitchen, he heard Taehyung laughing behind him.

Now that Emolga could see that it was getting what it wanted, it squeaked and tapped at his head impatiently. 

“Alright, I’m feeding you, okay? Don’t pull my hair!” he scolded, as he took out a food bowl and a bag of kibble from the cabinet. As he poured out the food into the bowl, he found it strange how quickly he forgot about his exhaustion when Hoseok and Taehyung arrived.

Not that it disappeared entirely, he still had an urge to sleep until the next day and half the reason he let them stay was because he had been too tired to chase them off. But he wondered if he would have been able to muster the energy to eat if they hadn’t come.

When he came back to the dinner table, he could see that Yoongi and Jimin had joined them at the table. The latter lit up when he saw him. “Jin hyung! Great work out there today! We watched all the performances on TV!”

“Thanks.” Seokjin put Emolga’s food down before walking over to greet the new guests. Emolga hopped down immediately to gobble up its food like the little gluttonous rascal it was. He eyed the new contributions to the dinner party on the table with a frown. “Why’d you bring drinks? You know I can’t drink, I’ve got a match first thing tomorrow!”

Considering that it would be his first televised match by himself, he felt considerably pressured and the last thing he wanted was a hangover the next morning to add to it all.

“Nah, it’s not alcohol.” Yoongi held up one of the bottles to show him the label. “Non-alcoholic sparkling wine.” He stared up at Seokjin. “You know your hair’s a mess, right?”

Seokjin felt his hair and groaned audibly. An inevitable result when you let an electric-type pokémon sit on your head for too long.

“Sit down! I’ll fix it for you.” Jimin guided him to a chair, whipping out a comb from seemingly nowhere and helping his elder member tame the frizz down. He couldn’t hold down a giggle as he did so, however, and Yoongi couldn’t quite hide his smirk. Taehyung and Hoseok had no such reserves though and were freely laughing at his crazy hair. 

“Leave it, Jimin. He can go to tomorrow’s match looking like that. Make a shocking impression on the challenger!” Hoseok teased.

But it wasn’t much appreciated by the victim. “Would you shut up, Hobi!?”

“Sorry, sorry.” Although he didn’t sound too sorry.

“Taehyung, get your Starmie out.” Jimin said after a few minutes of struggling with the static hair. “I need a Bubble but my Water-types are too big to comfortably fit in the room.”

Seokjin was aghast. “Hey, Jimin! What are you planning to do to my hair?!”

“Don’t worry, Jin hyung.” Jimin reassured him with a grin. “I use Bubble on my hair all the time, I know what I’m doing! Now get your world wide handsome butt back down on the chair.”

He scrunched his face in doubt but sat back down regardless. Taehyung sent his Starmie out as requested by Jimin. It observed the room and the light in its core blinked twice before it turned to Taehyung for its orders. He motioned at Jimin meaningfully who waved at it with a cheerful smile.

“Hi Starmie! I want you to use Bubble on Jin hyung’s hair and please be as gentle as possible!”

It seemed to nod in affirmation before it floated up and pointed the top of its star-shaped body at Seokjin’s head. A small stream of bubbles came out from the tip, popping harmlessly when they hit his hair and wetting it a little.

“And stop there!” Starmie stopped and turned to look at Jimin. “This is enough for me to work with. Thank you, Starmie!”

Jimin gave it a few pats of appreciation and got startled when it made a loud beep suddenly. “It’s saying you’re welcome.” Taehyung supplied.

As Jimin got back to work on Seokjin’s hair and Taehyung returned his pokémon back to its pokéball, Hoseok couldn’t control his curiosity. “Yo, how do you understand your Starmie? It doesn’t have a face or much of anything to express itself with.”

Taehyung was at a loss. “Uh… I just do?”

“How does it eat for that matter?” Yoongi chipped in with his own question. “It doesn’t even have a mouth as far as I’ve been able to see.”

He paused to consider the question. “Actually... I have no idea. I’ve never asked and it never joined during meal times come to think of it. I kind of assumed it got its own food somehow.”

His two elder members seemed shocked by the revelation. As they discussed the ways Starmie might feed itself, Jimin was finishing with Seokjin’s hair.

“There we go, all done! Wanna go check yourself in the mirror?”

Seokjin felt his hair. It was barely wet and already felt a lot better than when it was raised from static electricity. But he wanted to be sure anyway. “Yeah.”

Thankfully, there was a mirror in the dining room, just on top of the fake fireplace. Seokjin checked himself out. “Hey, you did a great job, Jimin! Sorry for doubting you.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Anything for you, hyung.” Jimin crossed his arms, looking a little proud of himself. “Although, I’m a little surprised that you let it happen. You’re not even going to scold Emolga?”

“I would but I’m pretty sure it would go through one ear and right out the other. Right, Emolga?”

Upon hearing its name being called, Emolga turned around guiltlessly from its place on the floor, cheeks stuffed full of food. It was so adorable that the men in the room watching it couldn’t help but coo at the sight and Seokjin couldn’t even think of scolding it.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Jimin made to go get the intercom but Jin stopped him. “I should act like a good host and fetch my own guests.” he explained.

Jimin assented, let his hyung go and went to join the others who were starting to argue about whose pokémon was the cutest, a discussion which he was all too eager to participate in.

Seokjin viewed the screen on his intercom and saw two figures whose faces were hidden behind masks but from the way one was bouncing around and the other was trying to keep him still, they were likely Jungkook and Namjoon. The last two members had finally arrived to join them.

He unlocked the main entrance for them to enter and then opened his own apartment door to wait for them personally. He didn’t need to wait too long since the elevator was quick and efficient. Soon he had an armful of Jungkook who he received with a surprised grunt, as the younger boy had come running over to tackle him as soon as he saw him in the corridor.

“Jin hyung! Good work out there today! I was watching you on TV!” Jungkook exclaimed from his shoulder.

“Sorry about him.” Namjoon, in contrast to the youngest member, was calmly taking his time as he made his way over. “I’d reckon he had one too many banana milks before being picked up.”

“Hey!” Jungkook finally released Seokjin with a pout. “Can’t I just be happy to see him?”

“Alright, alright.” Namjoon put his hands up in surrender. An amused smirk remained on his face. “But if Dragonite wasn’t such a patient pokémon, you’d be in trouble by now.”

Jungkook continued to pout in protest. Seokjin chuckled at the exchange. “Well, welcome to the dinner party you two. A dinner party that everyone knew about apart from the host, it seems.”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while Jungkook grinned like a cheeky monkey. “Weren’t you surprised?”

They heard a door slam distantly from somewhere in the building. Namjoon remembered where they were. “So, uh, instead of standing around decorating the hallway, can we come inside?” 

“Yeah, yeah, come in, make yourselves at home.” Seokjin acquiesced. Immediately, Jungkook bolted into the flat like a cannonball to greet the other members.

The leader and eldest member were left with a moment to themselves as they made their way to join the others. There was a moment of awkward silence before Namjoon burst out: “I’m sorry, hyung.”

Seokjin was caught off guard. “What for?”

He had a gloomy look on his face that Seokjin rarely ever saw on his leader. “I saw what you had to do today, that was too much wasn’t it?” He looked into his eyes and his expression almost made Seokjin’s heart tear into two. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault you have to go through this.”

“What?! Don’t be ridiculous!” The idea was so dumb that Seokjin felt like Namjoon had lost some of his brains before coming here. “Don’t you dare think for a second that it’s your fault!”

“But if it weren’t for me, you guys wouldn’t have to-”

“Look here, Kim Namjoon!” He made sure he had his full attention before continuing. “I do not, in any way, regret our decision at all! Not one bit, you hear me?!”

All the shouting had drawn the attention of the other members but at the moment, Seokjin couldn’t see them.

“We all agreed to do this knowing what kind of pressure it would entail. And I agreed to be the first gym leader knowing that I would take the full brunt of the challengers, alright? As the eldest here, I want to be able to do that for you all, so have a little more faith in me, would you?!”

Here, Seokjin let go of Namjoon’s collar but the fire still hadn’t burnt out in his eyes. “Besides, we’re enjoying this more than you think. Sure, I’m tired now but I’m seriously looking forward to tomorrow’s match, you know? Don’t ruin it for me!”

And that was true. Battling wasn’t in his blood like it was for Namjoon but he could enjoy it in his own way, regardless. Both the highs and the lows were exciting for him. Testing his limits, cheering his pokémon on and letting them take centre in their own stage was… refreshing in a way.

Namjoon seemed a little overwhelmed but he still found the energy to protest. “But as the leader, I should have taken your place…”

Seokjin shut him down right away. “As the leader, you should go last, that’s the way it should be. You know that best.”

Now Namjoon deflated completely, having lost the fight, but looked unsure. Seokjin, having said all that he had to say, felt drained of what little energy he had left.

Yoongi took the opportunity to diffuse the tense air. “Guys, it’s only the first year. It just means that we have to revise the challenge for next time so it doesn’t put so much on Jin hyung’s shoulders. Like, maybe we can add more conditions for entry or simplify the challenge a bit more.” He shrugged and then grabbed Namjoon and Seokjin by their shoulders. “Regardless, the food’s getting cold and we should be eating before anything else. Don’t you agree?”

The others, who had been too shocked by the sight of their two authority figures in the group fighting, were instantly soothed by Yoongi’s calm voice.

“Right, we’re all starved! Let’s save the serious discussion for later and just eat for now. We’ll have time!” Hoseok aided Yoongi in pulling the leader and eldest member to the dinner table.

The two remained frozen but compliant to their pulling. Finally, they glanced at each other and managed to crack a small smile.

“Right, my god, I haven’t been able to eat anything all day. Let’s eat, geez!” Seokjin took the seat that Jungkook had rushed out to pull out for him.

Meanwhile, Namjoon dropped himself on a seat that Jimin pulled out for him. “You’re right, let’s eat.” he agreed. The others seated themselves shortly after and soon chopsticks were being split and containers were being opened. They dug in and the mood in the room lifted.

Seokjin knew that the discussion wasn’t over yet and that Namjoon obviously still had some doubts to clear. However, he was going to make it a goal to make it known that they would stand together with Namjoon to chase after his dreams. And knowing the others, they would be sure to side with him all the way. Make sure Namjoon knew that, through thick and thin, **they were a team**.

“So... you saw a lot of appeals today, Jin hyung.” Yoongi started just as Seokjin felt Emolga climbing onto his lap to take a nap. “Any particular performance catch your eye?”

He swallowed his mouthful of noodles before replying. “They were all so remarkable!” He took a moment to laugh at his own joke. Unfortunately, not everyone in the room was quick enough to get it so continued somewhat more soberly: “But if I had to pick someone who stood out, it’d be the first place winner.”

“Oh yeah, you’re battling the first place winner tomorrow, right?” Jungkook asked with a mouth full of food. “What was their name again?”

Seokjin paused to recall the name. “Ami!” He exclaimed, clicking his fingers.

Ami had been an interesting challenger. Not only did she enter with a shiny Golurk, which was noteworthy in itself since it was a challenge about presentation, but she made the entire audience believe that they had watched an entire journey with her performance. Even Mr. Contesta had mentioned that it was a display that was on the same level as a Top Coordinator.

Tomorrow’s match was certainly something to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jin's gym challenge was something similar to the first round of Pokémon contests in the anime. You know? The part with all the pokémon moves and mixing them up to make a pretty display. It's a little bit of that and a little bit of Pokémon Showcase. You'll see that their League will be a bit different from the usual.  
> And I shouldn't have to explain who Ami represents, right? Lol  
> Actually, her final team member still hasn't been decided yet. I have everyone else's teams planned out except hers... Please comment if you have any suggestions!


	3. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right before his challenge starts, J-Hope meets an old friend.

“Hello, viewers at home! It’s your hope, J-Hope, live at the Yogangi Gym! I hope you’re all sitting comfortably because the Gym challenge is today!”

It was the day of J-Hope’s gym challenge and the gym leader himself was in the back room of his own gym. He stood in front of the large window overlooking the whole stage and addressed the camera for the live broadcast. 

His gym was styled after an urban dance stage given that his challenge was basically a dance competition. He simply wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Ooh, look at all those spectators! The seats are filling up so quickly.” He pressed his face to the glass and waved energetically. “No one noticed me from here.” he laughed.

“They really went above and beyond for this gym, though. Look at this!” He allowed a moment for the cameraman to swivel the camera left and right. “It’s so amazing, it brings tears to my eyes.” he said, wiping an invisible tear from his eye.

The gym was any dancer’s dream stage. Strobe lights of all colours flashed across the stage and made all kinds of mesmerising geometrical patterns on the floor. The large screen made for displaying highlights was currently blank since the challenge hadn’t officially started yet but J-Hope knew that it was high definition stuff. Trendy EDM boomed around the Gym, hyping up the audience, and J-Hope couldn't stop himself from grooving to the beat. If you didn’t know it was a Gym, you might mistake it for a glamorous disco party.

“Whose beautiful Gym is this? I’d bet the Gym Leader is a handsome, genius master dancer.” He flipped his hair for dramatic effect but evidently couldn’t keep his face straight. “Oh my god, now I’m embarrassed.”

He could see some of the film crew behind the camera chuckling at his antics and he smiled to himself.

Suddenly, a familiar song started playing in the gym and the screen in the centre of the gym lit up. J-Hope raised his brows in surprise. “Isn’t this mine?” He stared at the screen through the window which was now playing his music video. “Wow, they’re really playing Ego! They didn’t tell me about this!”

After a couple of seconds of jamming out to his own song being played at his own gym, he stopped. “This feels strange, actually.” He laughed at himself. “Anyway, we should move on. We’ve still got half an hour before the challenge begins and guess what we’re going to do before that?”

He grinned at the camera. “Let me take you guys somewhere special.”

As he led the camera and crew through the corridors, he eagerly explained a few details about the challenge. “You know, all challengers who passed Jin’s challenge knew about this challenge a month in advance and I’m sure they’ve all been practicing hard since then. Today we get to see the results of their efforts. Personally, I can’t wait!”

When he reached his destination, he paused to think. "Now then, we have five different rooms, which one should I pick?"

Then he suddenly seemed inspired. "I know!" 

He covered his eyes with one hand and pointed outwards with the other. Then he spun around on the spot, counting: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!"

After ten, he stopped and uncovered his eyes. His finger was pointing to a door on the left, labelled: 'Waiting Room 3'.

"I guess this is the one!" He rubbed his hands together nefariously. 

As he approached the door, he motioned for the crew to be quiet and then tread carefully towards it, as if he were trying to approach a sleeping Rhyhorn. He mouthed 'three, two, one' to the camera and then burst into the room with a yell: "Surprise!" 

The people and pokémon in the room instantly screamed comically while J-Hope laughed and clapped at them. "Nice reactions!" 

Soon the room was full of exclamations such as ‘It’s J-Hope!’, ‘Is this real?’ and ‘Oh my god!’. Although, there were a few among them who stayed silent.

J-Hope himself took it all in stride. “It’s your hope, J-Hope, who came to give you all some encouragement!” he announced, making finger guns. “How are you all feeling today?”

After a beat of silence, one girl with a Steenee stuttered out: “N-nervous.” Many others quickly nodded after her, staring up at J-Hope with both pitiful and starstruck eyes.

“Oh my.” Seeing the group’s overall youth, J-Hope felt a little endeared. “Well don’t fret little kiddos, Uncle J-Hope is here to boost your spirits!”

He winked and then danced a little jig for the group who were stuck between swooning and laughing at the merry sight.

Seeing their happy faces pleased J-Hope greatly. However, there was one kid with curly hair in the group who stood with his arms crossed. He had a petulant look on his face which only grew more sour the more J-Hope danced.

Eventually, he stopped dancing and decided to approach the child. “Yo, what’s wrong, kid? You look as if someone just told you to swallow a lemon.”

All eyes and cameras in the room turned to the boy, who only scoffed at the attention. “Ha! I can’t believe you have the nerve to call yourself a Gym Leader with this  _ show _ .”

There were gasps from all over the room and there was one girl who looked like she was ready to pummel the boy for his callous words. From behind J-Hope, the staff whispered among themselves and a few of them shook their heads.

J-Hope, however, was undaunted. His sunny smile never disappeared from his face. He held up a hand to stop the others from interfering and nodded to the boy. “Go on.”

The boy turned his nose up. “I came here from Kanto to see what this newly established league had to offer but it turns out it was hosted by some flamboyant  _ idols _ . Really? A dance competition as a Gym Challenge? Laughable. A trainer doesn’t need to dance to be good at battling. This challenge is a waste of time.”

The atmosphere now became extremely awkward and the loyal BTS fans in the room bristled with rage. The whispering from the staff grew more harsh and hurried now as they considered cancelling the live broadcast.

However, J-Hope gave a slight smile and turned to a staff member behind him. ‘Keep rolling’ he mouthed and then turned to the boy. He approached him slowly and the boy flinched when he raised a hand to pat his shoulder.

“You do have a point kid,” he conceded. “It’s true that dancing skills aren’t necessary for a trainer. But what we’re looking for in this competition isn’t the best dancer. It’s the best pair… Say, what pokémon are you going to dance with for the challenge?”

The curly-haired boy shifted uncomfortably. “Electabuzz.”

“Nice!” J-Hope shot him a finger gun to which he got no reaction. “And would you say that you two enjoy being with each other?”

“Of course!” He seemed offended by the idea that they did not. “We’re best friends!”

“And that’s enough!” J-Hope’s eyes crinkled with pride at his answer. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the best dancer in the competition, it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t get along with your pokémon. What we’re looking for are not only trainers and pokémon who are in sync but also those who are just having a blast, having fun doing an activity together.” This time, swivelled around to address the whole group. “I assure you, it’s okay if you have two left feet, just get out there and have a good time! Whatever you do, your pokémon will be with you!”

Here, he adopted one of the most serious faces he ever had on camera. “That, to me, is key to being a good trainer. And if you don’t believe me, just get in top three today so you can challenge me to see what a real sync pair looks like.”

Both the challengers and the staff left him with stunned silence for a beat. Then they started applauding him enthusiastically for his words. J-Hope’s stern face broke as he chuckled in embarrassment. The curly-haired boy appeared to be thoroughly quenched as he furrowed his brows in thought.

As J-Hope had spent more time than expected in the waiting room by making that speech, he was quickly ushered out by the staff, to his fans’ disappointment. He left them so they could interview the challengers as planned as well as to prepare himself as a judge for the challenge.

Outside the waiting room, alone in the corridor with no cameras around to film him, Hoseok inhaled dramatically and clutched his chest to calm his beating heart.

“That kid was scary!” he exclaimed in one breath.

Sure, in his long career in the entertainment industry, he had heard insults and slander towards his group and himself countless times before. But it didn’t mean he knew how to deal with it every time. Especially if it came from a kid. He couldn’t possibly be too harsh with him and at the same time, he couldn’t disregard his words either.

He only hoped that he had sent the right message out and avoided tarnishing their image as both idols and gym leaders.

Regardless, he was J-Hope. He slapped his cheeks to wake himself up and continued down the corridor to find the break room. Some coffee sounded good to him at the moment. 

When he made it to the break room, there was someone familiar inside. The person greeted him as soon as he entered: "Hoseok!" 

Hoseok yelled back in equal eagerness. "Yeonho!" 

His old friend put his coffee down and met him with a sturdy fist bump when he approached him. "How're you doing, bro? Haven't heard from you for ages!"

Yeonho had evidently matured greatly since the last time he saw him. He dropped the punk look he had back when they were in the same underground dance group and opted for a stylish city look. His dyed carrot orange hair rather suited his youthful face.

"Never been the same without you, bro. But, yo man! You've seriously come a long way since leaving the group! We always knew you would do well wherever you went but to actually become a Gym Leader?" he whistled, impressed. “Hoseok, you’re a star!”

Hoseok chuckled to hide his embarrassment. “Nah, I really have the other members to thank for that.” He said as he went to use the coffee machine. "But, Yeonho, you're a self-made star! I've seen you and your Simisear on 'WooTube', you know? I was ecstatic when I found out you were going to be on the judge's panel with me today!"

"Well, I couldn’t help but jump at the chance of being part of Acelor’s first League, no matter how small a part I play. It’s a huge honour for me, really.”

“Nah, I ought to be thanking you for helping me out.” Hoseok took his coffee and then leaned against the table next to Yeonho. “Hey, we should get some drinks sometime so we can catch up. Call up the other guys again, it’s been too long!”

Yeonho brightened up at the idea. “We should!” He took a sip of his coffee. “Oh, but I’m not sure if Won hyung would be able to make it. I hear he had his second child recently.”

“Really?!” Hoseok turned to his friend in surprise. “Wow, to think that Won hyung has become a dad already. Of two, even! Everyone really is moving on with their lives now...”

Hoseok was rather happy for his old friend but he couldn’t help but feel a little sad. Losing touch with old friends over time was inevitable given his busy lifestyle but having to hear that his friend has become a dad through another friend stung a little if he were honest.

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Gym Leader of the Acelor Region!” Yeonho had a grin on his face but then proceeded to stare at Hoseok thoughtfully. “Say, Hoseok, are you happy?”

“Huh?” He nearly dropped his coffee in surprise. “Where’d that come from? So suddenly?”

Yeonho chuckled sheepishly. “Well, I was thinking about the you from the past...”

Hoseok sensed that the conversation was taking a different turn and dropped his smile so he could listen to his friend more seriously. Yeonho scratched his freckled nose as he tried to explain. “You were always ambitious and desperate, or so that’s how it felt to me. You were the hardest on yourself and never seemed satisfied with what you did. But now…”

He paused to think. Hoseok found himself a little anxious about his answer. “What?”

“I dunno, it’s like you found yourself, I think." Yeonho touched his chin in thought. "How do I say this? You’ve really become the you beyond the crazy dance freak I used to know.”

“Hey!” He got a playful shove for that. “I’ll have you know, I’m still a crazy dance freak!”

“I don’t doubt that.” Yeonho agreed cheerily, poking back at his friend. He sipped his coffee. “But, like, you really grew into yourself, I think. You shine brighter than you ever did before. It's like... joining Big Hit and BTS has allowed Hoseok to evolve into his final form." 

He laughed at his own comparison and grinned at his friend. 

Hoseok found himself feeling something he couldn't quite identify. He chuckled and clapped Yeonho on his back to ease this feeling. Embarrassment maybe? "Gosh, you're so sappy!" Despite his remark, his eyes were shining with thanks. 

Yeonho took the hit with a quiet 'oof' but then laughed along with Hoseok. After their laughing fit passed, Yeonho took Hoseok’s shoulder with a hard look on his face. “Seriously though, I wanna know, are you comfortable now? Happy?”

_ … Without us? _

The unsaid words lingered in the air and in that moment several faces faded in and out of his head. Happy memories. Sad memories. Exhilarating memories. Frustrating memories. But he didn’t even need these memories to know what his answer was and he wanted to answer his old friend’s sincerity with his honesty.

“Yeah. I am.”

Contrary to expectations, Yeonho met Hoseok’s firm answer with a beaming smile. “Great! Leaving us did you a lot of good. You shouldn’t regret it.” He patted his shoulder encouragingly. "And quite frankly, I like this Hoseok better."

“What’s with you, Yeonho?!” Hoseok gasped out, laughing. “Did you eat a drama for breakfast or something?!”

He scratched his nose, slightly embarrassed. “Guess I felt a little nostalgic today.”

“We have all the time to get nostalgic at the bar later, yo!”

After the two men finished their coffee and their chat, they headed to the stage. They split up and headed for separate parts of the stage since J-Hope had a demonstration performance to do right before the challenge started.

As he waited backstage for his cue, he released his oldest pokémon. 

Ludicolo came out and immediately grabbed its trainers hands for a jolly dance, spinning him around and lifting him up. Hoseok laughed at its antics and played along, as he always did.

But like its trainer, Ludicolo was a professional and knew that it wasn’t the right time for fun and games, so it stopped its dancing to look at its trainer patiently.

“Ludicolo,” Hoseok held onto his pokémon’s hands for comfort. “We’ve been together since the very beginning, right old buddy?”

In response to that, he got a wide grin and a firm squeeze on his hands. He squeezed back just as hard. “Sorry, I just met up with Yeonho and went back to the past for a little bit.”

At his pokémon’s inquisitive look, he continued. “I have no regrets about what we’re doing now, heck, I wouldn’t give this up for the world!” He furrowed his brows. “But I just wonder about the people that we left behind…”

He certainly had Yeonho and the others to thank for his early success. But now that he made this far without them, he had to wonder how they felt about it. Was it fair? Were they simply stepping stones? No, definitely not!

Still, the team crumbled apart shortly after he left and he wondered if, just what if, he had stayed. Would they have stayed a close-knit group? Would they have been able to climb up the ladder of success together? Would have he been the first to be informed of Won’s wedding and be his best man?

Then suddenly he felt Ludicolo move its hands to his shoulders to grip it tightly. It grunted meaningfully.

Hoseok stared into his partner’s deep dark eyes. “Right. What’s there to wonder about? The present is the present and the past is the past. And I would never trade BTS for anything!” He pumped a fist up. “I gotta make sure to treat Yeonho and the others to at least five meals!”

He laughed and Ludicolo bounced on its feet merrily. Hoseok watched his partner, eyes warm with affection. “At least you never change. I’m glad you’re here, buddy.”

A moment passed and then Hoseok felt goosebumps. “Argh! I’m no good at this emotional stuff! Let’s just dance, shall we?”

When Ludicolo nodded in agreement, his cue came right on time and Hoseok skipped onto stage with his arms linked with his partner. The audience cheered when they saw them.

“Hi, everyone! I’m your hope, you’re my hope, I’m J-Hope!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If a Gym Leader can make ten-year-olds rock climb in their Gym with zero safety ropes (looking at you, Grant) then J-Hope can make them dance in his, alright?! Also, just to note, I don’t know a thing about the members of J-Hope’s old dance group so I made up a character to fill in that role.  
> Anyways, if you're enjoying this fic then please leave a kudos or a comment. You need to give writers some support for them to keep being motivated! In my case, I'm likely to write faster if you do :)


End file.
